After more than a year and a half of a nutritarian lifestyle, I think I was starting to lose perspective. People eat basically healthy, I thought, so what’s with all the disturbing health news? I was brought back to reality when I saw this recent Meijer sale ad insert in the Sunday paper. It lists “5 days of family meals for under $50.” The meals are 1) toaster waffles with fake maple syrup, plain eggs, and orange juice, 2) pizza with soda, 3) bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches, 4) Meijer-marinated chicken and bell pepper skewers with instant white rice, and 5) rotisserie chicken with canned gravy, coleslaw, and Bob Evans mashed potatoes.

Are these the kind of dinners the average American family eats each night??? Not one has a substantial amount of produce in it. The kebabs come closest, but then they slather the food in a marinade. And the marketing presentation that you can feed your family inexpensively with these kind of meals is absurd. I realize they are trying to sell their products, but who thinks it’s cheaper to buy a side of Bob Evans mashed potatoes rather than boiling a few russet potatoes and mashing them yourself? Nutritarian eating can be far less expensive than eating this processed junk; ever buy a bag of dried lentils or beans?

I know people are searching for fast, affordable, and tasty meals for their families, and I think the majority of people are concerned with the nutritional quality of their meals, but they don’t realize it can be fast and easy. So here are my top 5 go-to summer meals; none of them take more than 20 minutes to get on the table, they don’t heat up the house with an oven, and they have simple ingredients:

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Faster than a speeding couch potato! Able to leap the produce aisle in a single bound! Welcome to Super Veggie Mom, which chronicles my efforts to raise a plant-strong, creative, and bright family while pursuing my own writing and fitness interests.